Mail-crane.



P. QUIST.

MAIL CRANE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1914.

1,128,511. Patented Feb. 16, 1915 V%4z1 2 -mlm 3mm q/vbl meoow 'I F 0111 6 T.

I fluwm o THE NORRIS PETERS co.. PHn'm LITHU..WA5HINL1ION, p C.

FRED QUIST, 0F SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

MAIL-CRANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Application filed July 9, 1914. Serial No. 850,034.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED QUIsT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sacramento, in the county of Sacramento and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Cranes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates broadly to improvements in mail cranes and more particularly to means for supporting the mail sacks thereon.

The object of the invention is to provide an extremely simple device of the hereinafter described characterwhich will readily support the sack upon a crane to be de scribed, which will allow the sack to be easily removed by the receiving arm on a coach, and to construct the device in such a manner as to allow the sack to be easily engaged therewith.

With this and minor objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination herein described and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, showing the application of mv invention to a mail crane; Fig. 2 is an edge view partly in section, of one of the sack holding clips; Fig. 3 is a side view thereof with the clamping jaws in operative position; and Fig. l is a similar view showing the position of said jaws when engaging the ring of a mail sack therewith.

It is a well known fact that the mail cranes and attaching clips now in every day use are of very rigid and heavy construction and that the same are exceedingly dangerous when set on account of the fact that workmen upon freight trains, in climbing upon the ladders at the sides thereof, must necessarily be in such a position as to allow the beams of the cranes to strike them, this often either seriously injuring the workmen or killing them outright. In order to overcome this most objectionable feature of the present day mail cranes, I have provided a pair of sack holding clips of exceedingly light construction and preferably employ the same in connection with a crane of the hereinafter described type having flexible means for supporting said clips.

In the accompanying illustration, the numerals 1 and 2 designate a pair of upright posts which rise from a suitable base 3 and which are connected by transverse rounds 4: which constitute a ladder whereby access to the top of said posts may be gained. The extreme upper ends of said posts 1 and 2 are further connected by a transverse bar 5 above which a beam 6 is pivoted at 7, one end 8 of said beam being either of greater length than the opposite end 9 thereof or being weighted to retain the same in a normally upright position.

Projecting through the end portion 9 of the beam '6, is the shank 10 of an eye bolt whose eye 11 is located beneath said beam for the purpose of suspending a rope or cable whose lower end carries an eye 13. A transverse bar 14: on the base 3, likewise receives the shank 10 of an eye bolt whose eye 11 is located above said bar and receives the lower end of an upright rope or cable 12 whose upper end is connected to a ring 13', from which a substantially horizontal cable 12 leads to one of the rounds i to normally position the parts as seen in Fig. 1.

Connected to the rings 13 and 13 are a pair of sack holding clips 15 each of which comprises a pair of upright clamping plates 16 which are preferably of the shape shown in Figs. 3 and l, each of said plates having one of its ends curved inwardly as indicated at 17 while their opposite ends likewise curve inwardly as indicated at 18 and contact one with the other, the last ends being each provided with an L-shaped slot 19, said slots receiving the rings 13 and 13 as clearly seen in the drawings.

Extending transversely through each pair of plates 16, is a pivot pin 20 which has its opposite ends threaded as indicated at 21 and which is provided with a central enlargement or stop 22 located between said plates, said threaded ends 21 receiving nuts and lock nuts 23 and 23 between which and said plates, coil springs 2-1 encircle said pin. By this construction, the nuts 23 may be adjusted inwardly or outwardly to vary the tension of the springs '24 and locked against movement by the lock nuts 23 as will be evident by an inspection of Fig. 2.

With the parts as above described, the clips 15 may be moved vertically in order to allow the rings 13 to lie within the transverse portions 19' of the slots 19 thereby allowing the plates 16 to be turned around the pivot pin 20 in opposite directions, as

inturned ends 17 of said plates 16, after" which the latter maybe again swung to the position shown in Fig.8, whereupon the weight of the end 8 of the beam 6 will cause said rings 13 and 13 to move into the par allel upright portions 19 of the slots 19, thus absolutely preventing said plates 16 from rocking around the pivot bolt 20. When the parts stand as seen in Fig. 4c, the central stop 22 prevents the plates 16 from being forced into contact with each other at their intermediate portions, since this would prevent said plates from being easily returned to normal position.

From the above set forth construction, it will be seen that I have provided an eX- tremely simple form of clip for supporting a mail sack, one with which the rings of the sack may be readily engaged, from which said rings may be readily disengaged by the arm on a mail coach and one which may be simply and inexpensively manufactured.

Having, thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a pair of substantially upright clamping plates each having an L-shaped slot in one of its ends, a fastening member passing through said slots and designed for attachment to a portion of a mail crane,'a transverse pivot pin passing through the intermediate portions of said plates, and resilient means for holding the adjacent ends of said plate in contact, the fastening member being adapted to be received in the-horizontal portions of the L-shaped slots when the two plates are swung in opposite directions around their pivot, and to be seated in the upright portions of said slots when the plates stand in normal position, thus preventing the swinging thereof around the pivot pin.

2. A device of the character described comprising a pair of substantially upright clamping plates, each having an L-shaped slot in one end, a fastening member passing through said slots and designed for attachment to a portion of a mail'crane, a transverse pivot pin passing through the intermediate portions of said plates and having stops on its opposite ends, and springs on said pin interposed between said stops and the plates whereby the adjacent ends of said plates are forced into yielding contact.

3.- A device of the character described comprising a pair of substantially upright clamping plates having their ends bowed inwardly into contact, one. end of each plate having a transverse slot, a fastening mem= ber passingthrough said slots and designed for attachment to a mail crane, a transverse pivot pin passing through the intermediate portions of said plates, a stop on said pin located between said plates, other stops on the opposite ends thereof, and coil springs interposed between said last mentioned stops'and the plates. 1

4;. A device of the character described comprising a pair of substantially upright clamping plates each having one of its ends bowed laterally, said ends contacting one with the other, a pin extending transversely through said plates, a stop on said pin between said plates, other stops on the opposite ends thereof, springs interposed between said last mentioned stops and said plates, and means for attaching said plates to a portion of a mail crane.

5. A device of the character described comprising a pair of upright clamping plates each having one end bowed laterally, said ends contacting one with the other, a pin extending transversely through said plates and having its opposite ends threaded, a stop on said pin between said plates, nuts onsaid threaded ends of the pin, coil springs encircling said ends and interposed between said nuts, and said plates, and means whereby said plates may be attached to a portion of a mail crane.

6.'A device of thecharacter described comprising a pair of upright clamping plates having their opposite ends bowed inwardly into contact, one end of each plate having an L-shaped slot, a ring engaged with said slots, a transverse pivot pin extending through said plates and having its ends threaded, a stop on said pin between said plates, nuts on said threaded ends, and

coil springs thereon interposed between said nuts and said plates.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing'witnesses. l

J. F. NEmEFrEn, EDNA CALVERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

